Here’s what happens when a restaurant owner and staff seem genuinely eager to please:

They please.

I’ve dined three times at Basil’s Italian Market and Pizzeria on Caroline Street, and at each visit owner Chris Harris and his friendly staff were almost puppylike in their attentions.

Did I like the way a drink or dish was prepared? Was there anything about it I would change? What did I think of the salad, the pizza, the wine, the dessert?

I quickly learned not to express even a minor quibble for fear the offending item would be whisked away and amended, then presented to me free of charge.

For the record, I don’t think anyone there knew I was reviewing the restaurant for The Free Lance–Star. My colleague Neva Trenis and I don’t announce our visits in advance. We don’t identify ourselves as reviewers when we get there. And the paper foots the bill—anonymously.

So I have to conclude that the VIP treatment I received at Basil’s is extended to everyone who eats there.

And you know what? That’s really refreshing.

Basil’s has been open only seven weeks. Like any new restaurant, it’s still defining itself, training its staff, tweaking its menu.

But the restaurant already seems to have found its customer base. At my last lunchtime visit, every table was taken, and people were happily seated at the counter as well.

Maybe they had tried the dishes that I most enjoyed: Spinach and artichoke dip ($4.50). It’s a made-fresh concoction of roasted arti chokes, garlic and chopped spinach, nicely blended with Parmesan and other cheeses.

This hot dip is served with corn chips but would be even better on some of the fresh Italian bread the restaurant bakes each morning.